


Far From A Lionheart

by SmutPrince



Category: Transformers - All Media Types, Transformers Generation One
Genre: Forced Bonding, M/M, Politics, kingdom au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-02-09
Updated: 2014-02-26
Packaged: 2018-01-11 16:39:58
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,678
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1175362
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SmutPrince/pseuds/SmutPrince
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A prince's life amidst a war and the changes it will bring. Prince Starscream's dethroning and his proceeding legacy.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prologue; an introductory section of a story or play. A preface.

The young seekerling; red, white, and blue paint shining boldly, sat atop his palace tower, watching as his sire rallied the spirits of his citizens in the name of an assault planned to happen in less than a joor. Not six cycles ago had city officials in the nearby socialist citystate cut off energon veins running to Vosian mines and declared a trading embargo with the seeker city. The outrage had caused a massive shortage of energon for the citizens of Vos and Starscream's sire, and crowned king of Vos, had called for the able bodied of his principality to take seige of a nearby Tarn energon factory. Starscream, being only a vorn old, watched with candid interest as the multiplicity of seekers soared from their capital as a united front, disappearing over the horizon.

* * *

 

News came of the detrimental loss of troops from a delegate of Tarn, Ravage.

Starscream's sire sat in his throne, his bondmate to his left, shaking with anger. Starscream had been kept aloft, hanging in a small pillowed throne that draped down from the ceiling. He sneered with contempt at the grounder, his sire gritting his dentae as the delegate demanded compensation for the attack. Starscream's Sire replied with a snarl, "What of the energon vein?" Ravage cocked an optic ridge. "What of it?"

A roar of anger broke through the air and the Vosian king leapt to his pedes, guns pointed at Ravage aggressively. His bond mate, however, placed a delicate servo on the king's weapon, calming him. Starscream was trembling in anger. Why hadn't his carrier simply allowed his sire to blow the disgusting ground pounder to scrap?

Starscream's sire sat back down, ventilation systems still cycling heavily. Starscream's carrier, however, remained calm. "What is it that you ask as compensation, Ravage? My king and I haven't time for sparkling's play. We have a city to keep nourished. A difficult task when we are down one energon line." Ravage eyed the irritable king wearily before turning back to the femme speaking. "Commander Shockwave demands division of said energon line between Vos and Tarn."

The court broke into hysterics. "We need that fuel more than you scrap metal do!" one of the younger guards shrieked, along with many others, calling out threats of deactivation to the Tarn official; Ravage glaring at them all the while. The king finally stood, "Enough." Silence befell the courtroom once more and Starscream, from his canopy, looked down as his father began to speak. "We will give you half of our," the king eyed Ravage pointedly, "energon line, but only because we would waste more fuel terminating you vermin than we'd gain."

Ravage scoffed, the king advanced, and Starscream's carrier huffed in irritation. "We cannot continue this feud, Ravage. We need a way to solidate a sort of truce." The queen all but shoved her bond mate back into his throne, shooting him a warning glare. Starscream's face twisted in disgust. What a fool his sire was, allowing his carrier to overpower him when he, he, was the king. His attentions, however, were drawn back to Ravage.

"What do you suggest?" Ravage asked, again composed despite the angry stares surrounding him. Starscream had to give the Tarnian credit, he'd have to have had spark to come to a great force like Vos by himself. Starscream's carrier hesitated and she caught Starscream's optic. She stared at him sternly and Starscream felt his spark jolt. His carrier had suddenly cut off her bond with him, leaving his sensory units struck as a thick black wall came down violently between the two, impenetrable until his carrier relented. Stuck speechless, unable to so much as whimper, Starscream could only listen in horror as his carrier's offer passed her dentae.

"We give Lord Shockwave the spark our creation, Starscream."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This will probably be the longest fanfic I've ever written, and so I hope it is well received. uwu The fic will contain tactile, sticky, and plug n' play. Literally couldn't bring myself to choose a single way to interface, so we're just gonna fucking shove them all in there at some point and have preference vary mech to mech. Everyone's got the same equipment, interface equipment does not vary and gender is a personal preference varying from mech to mech. There will be a plethora of subtle OC plot devices, but only canon characters will get emotional characterization aside from perhaps Starscream's carrier.


	2. Inertia

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Inertia; the tendency of an object to resist a change in motion and/or direction.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I should have mentioned this earlier, but I think Cybertronians come of age (our version of about 16 perhaps) at 10 vorns (roughly 830 years), so the time skip between the first and second chapter is about 9 vorns. So Starscream is 10 vorns (sixteen human years) old currently.
> 
> Here's my time table:  
> Nanoclick: 1 Second  
> Joor: 1 Hour  
> Cycle: 1 Day  
> Orn: About 2 Weeks  
> Solar Cycle: 1 Year  
> Vorn: 83 Years  
> Lightyear: Holy Fuck

Starscream sat with his pedes crossed, hanging on a dainty swing made of gold. His would-be sparkmate, kneeling before his sire and his loathsome creator, was adorned in military badges and a simple crown. Shockwave's single optic was a fiery red and Starscream visibly stiffened when he felt that eerie gaze fall upon him. No matter the multiplicity of their meetings, the ground pounder still creeped Starscream out, his expression unreadable and his optic persistent on the seeker's frame.

It had been nearly nine vorns since their arranged bonding, and yet the pair remained unbonded. Starscream, though not eager to spark merge with this ... mech, grew tired of the constant delay of their agreement ... if you could call it that. Starscream shot a searing glare at his carrier. Even after she reopened her end of their bond, he shut it off and kept it sealed, his rage festering in his spark for what felt like millennia. Starscream's sire had insisted they patch things up, but his carrier seemed indifferent and distant. Starscream himself was a prideful mech, and reopening the bond between he and his carrier without apology was out of the question. He'd sooner be deactivated.

Starscream's gaze returned to Shockwave, who has drawn his attention back to the Vosian king. Shockwave was there, in Vos, for a strategic meeting regarding energon lines, warrior recruitment, and political affairs. Starscream listened intently when Shockwave spoke of the war; in fact, it was the only time he felt himself interested in what the grounder had to say.

A civil war had broken out between a political party stationed in Iacon, known as the Autobots, and an angry mass of low level bots dwelling in Kaon who called themselves Decepticons. Their leader was said to be a low level miner worker gone gladiator gone supposed revolutionary. From what Starscream had heard, he'd prefer to be on the Autobots' side, if only for the dignity of working with capable, socially standing mechs, rather than the raggamuffin group of ground pounding scrap metal. That, and the perks of energon control. Yet from what Shockwave was saying, the Autobots hoped to unite Cybertron under one government, their government.

Starscream's sire scoffed with him at the idea, but his carrier remained silent. This wasn't surprising, the wretch had grown quite apathetic in the political aspect of her position; another reason Starscream had to despise her. Snapping his attention back huffily, Starscream perked his audial receptors to Shockwave. A united Cybertron indeed; more like Iacon didn't like cities like Vos and wanted control of all Energon veins for their elite. Their ruse wasn't as opaque as they'd hope, Starscream mused. If there was one thing he despised, it was outside forces poking their servos in his people's energon. Shockwave didn't seem too pleased either. He insisted that Tarn and Vos begin building an army to counter any interference from Autobot or Decepticon troops. Starscream's sire protested fiercely at first, but he soon retracted, sliding back into his throne, with a solemn look on his faceplates. "If we wage war on all of Cybertron, we are sure to lose," he ground out, servos tapping against his throne's arm. Shockwave gave a soft nod of his helm. "Yes, I do understand the ramifications if we lose, but with our superior weaponry and your flight capability-" Starscream shrieked indignantly, making Shockwave turn towards him slowly.

"Superior weaponry my aft!" he yelled, leaning over his dainty throne. Starscream's sire jumped in his plating, swiftly turning his head towards his creation. "Starscream!" he boomed, glaring at the young flier. Starscream sneered, ignoring his sire. "I've seen that worthless scrap heap you call a scientific team! I've been playing with more advanced pieces of equipment before my thrusters fully developed and you have the audacity to claim superiori-" Starscream's insistent yelling was cut off by a loud clang. Starscream jumped despite himself, as his creator slammed his servo so hard onto his throne it dented. "That is enough! Your arrogance will be your downfall, Starscream," the king shouted. "I dismiss you from your duties this cycle, and I order you to await Shockwave and apologize for your overstep!"

Starscream's mouth gaped. His sire was shaking in anger now, optics blazing violent red. Starscream snapped his mouth shut, and twisted his faceplates into a scowl. "Yes, sire," he growled, jumping down from his perch and landing heavily on his pedes. Starscream stared dead at his creators, then turned to Shockwave, who managed to look amused, despite his lack of a face. Bowing stiffly, Starscream stomped out of the war room, down the halls, and to a nearby balcony. Gripping the balcony bars roughly, Starscream shrieked, piercing the Cybertronian air with his shriek of fury. The young prince huffed his ventilation systems, vocal units strained from his tantrum.

Why must his creator insist on treating him like a sparkling? Had he not proven his capabilities in politics with the negotiations he'd managed to squeeze from Shockwave. Did Vos not have two more energon lines than the previous vorn? Starscream scowled, slamming his servo into the bars. "A temper like your sire's."

Starscream spun on his pedes, glaring hotly at Skywarp and Thundercracker. Skywarp cackled. "Man, Screamer, you sure are a riot to watch sometimes." Starscream jeered at the two of them, "What are you doing outside of the throne room? Has the meeting ended so soon?" Thundercracker shook his helm. "It is the job of the trine to tend to its wounded-" Starscream snarled. "I am not wounded!" he snapped. Skywarp rolled his optics and hopped towards his red and white trinemate. "Your pride is," Skywarp said pointedly, taping Starscream's cockpit. Starscream batted him away. "Be that as it may I do not need you two to lick my wounds for me."

Thundercracker scoffed, "Don't think that just because you're a prince we'll wait on you servo and knee? We're here as a trine, Starscream, do not think that you can just dismiss that because you are prince." Starscream looked wounded and turned to Skywarp, who just shrugged indifferently. "I didn't mean to imply ... " Starscream trailed off, feeling energon rise to his face plates. "Never mind, whatever, stay if you want," he scowled. Skywarp jibed happily. "Aw, Screamer's sorry," he cooed, throwing his servos around Starscream. The trineleader cringed and patted his trinemate awkwardly. "I didn't say I was sorry nor do I have a reason to be!" he snapped, though he continued to pet Skywarp's helm. Thundercracker snorted. "You are one prideful mech, Starscream, let me tell you."

Before Starscream could retort, the sound of pedes rang through the hall, slow and leisurely. Starscream glowered in the direction of the noise and Thundercracker sighed. "The meeting is over, we better leave you to your apology." Skywarp was peeled off of Starscream with whines of protests. Starscream looked worried as he glanced over at the footstep's origins and the back to his trine. "Wait, hang on, where is all that 'tending to trine mates' thing you were just saying?" Thundercracker cracked a smile. "Like I said, your majesty, we won't be following you around on ample pedes." Starscream yelped, attempting to grab the pair but Skywarp was gone with his trinemate in a flash. Starscream stamped a pede childishly. "Oh for Primus's sake!"

"You're the one who insulted him," Thundercracker's voice echoed through the hall. "Fragit TC, get back here and-" "Prince Starscream." Starscream flinched and turned around once more. What was with every mech and femme on Cybertron popping up behind him today? Shockwave towered over the seeker prince, servos behind his back. "Was I interrupting something?" he asked, sounding amused. Starscream's face curled in disgust but his voice remained composed, his back to his betrothed. "No, I was just talking to my trine."

Shockwave nodded once, curtly. "Ah, yes, I forget that seekers have this tendency to group in threes." Starscream didn't like his promised bond mate's tone and he showed it, spinning on his pedes. "Yes, well, when you're a refined and noble race you tend to develop more effective means of living," he replied tartly. Shockwave's optic flared briefly. "You'd do well to hold your glossa," he snapped, making Starscream scoff and cross his arms. "I am not a sparkling," Starscream hissed, "and I'll do whatever I please."

The Tarn ruler took a step forward, pede falling heavy on the floor. Starscream took a cautious step back, only to find himself pressed into a wall. If he felt any fear, he'd didn't show it, scowling up at Shockwave and gritting his dentae. "You will learn to heel when I command it," Shockwave hissed, one of his servos rising to brush against Starscream's faceplate. The seeker stiffened and sneered. "If you so wish me under your command then why don't you simply bond with me?" Starscream's wings scraped painfully against the wall but he kept a straight face. "Or are you simply not mech enou-" A wicked servo scraped harshly along Starscream's thigh and the prince let out a shaky gasp before digging his servos into Shockwave's plating and pulling roughly. The older mech swore and pulled away, leaving Starscream cycling air furiously, optics burning like twin super novas.

"I am plenty mech enough," Shockwave growled, rubbing his now sore plating. "The real question is: are you?" Shockwave turned on pede and stormed off, leaving Starscream to lean against the wall, scowling.

* * *

 

Megatron, a smirk on his faceplates, admired the distant city. It was magnificent; skyscrapers grazing the sky, a single tower above the rest. Oh how he'd love to claim that tower as his own and watch Cybertronians skitter beneath his pedes like vermin. The tower beckoned him forth and not only did Megatron crave its height, he craved what it symbolized. With this tower, he would control an entire peoples. With this tower, and its inhabitants, he would claim control of the city in the sky.

Yes, he would have that tower and, with it, Vos.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shockwave is having conflicted feelings on being betrothed to Starscream. One hand hand, Starscream is a hot piece of aft. On the other hand, Starscream is a hot pain in the aft.


	3. Pride

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pride; a sense of accomplishment in one's own action. A downfall.

Starscream hurled a nearby sculpture, sending it flying and crashing into a wall. "Ridiculous!" he screeched, Thundercracker and Skywarp watching with mixed amusement. This had been the third tantrum after the meeting, and still Starscream hadn't calmed down. A nervous servant tidled nearby, shifting on his pedes. Thundercracker nodded behind him, signaling that it was time for him to go. There was no point in cleaning up; Starscream would just scrap the place five joors later.

Skywarp laughed as Starscream went to kick the wall, only to howl in pain as his pede was dented. Thundercracker only rolled his optics, suppressing a snicker. "You're being ridiculous." Starscream glared at his trinemate. "I can be as ridiculous as I wish! How dare that - that - guttermech sully my frame with his servos! He should be executed! Demolished! Deactivated!" Starscream, with nothing within reach to throw, stomped over to his berth and tore down the canopy in frustration. Skywarp squealed in protest, "I got those for you on your spark day!" he whined, warping to scope the damage.

Starscream vented harshly, servos clenched. "Scrap metal due for melting ... " he huffed, internal fans whirring to cool him down. Skywarp collected the now torn canopy fabric and groaned. "I'll have to save up a lot more credits to get this repaired!" Starscream reared on Skywarp, snatching the offensive fabric. "Who gives a pit damned scrap heap about the fragging canopy!?" he howled. "I have been defiled! Your prince, and trinemate, has been desecrated! Besmirched!" Skywarp threw his hands up in the air, exasperated. "You're not a piece of fraggin' art, Starscream, stop over reacting he just grabbed your thigh, it's not like he stuck his fingers in your p-!"

"Don't say it!" Starscream screeched, covering his audials. "You know I hate that word!" Skywarp stuck out his glossa. "Port! He didn't frag your port! PORT! PORT! PORT!" Starscream yelled in protest, lunging at Skywarp. Before he could get a single servo on him, Thundercracker intervened. "Enough, both of you, you're acting like sparklings. You are grown aft mechs, act like it!" Starscream sneered and Skywarp rolled his eyes. "What makes you so high and mighty?" Skywarp asked, faceplate scrunched. Thundercracker glared at him. "The fact that I'm not yelling about ports and tearing down the castle from the inside out."

Starscream and Skywarp glanced at each other, wings once hiked relaxing. Starscream backed off, walking to his window. He stared out from his balcony, optics dimmed slightly. Thundercracker sighed. "You're so neurotic, Screamer, you need to stop going from blistering mad to soul searching all the time." Starscream sneered out the window. "It's called having emotion. When was the last time you showed any?" Thundercracker turned away, walking towards his trinemate's berthroom door. "It's called keeping control," he retorted, leaving Skywarp and Starscream to wallow in shame.

Starscream rolled his optics, hissing softly. "Idiot," he mumbled. Thundercracker had a way about him, something in the way he spoke, that made Starscream feel like a scolded sparkling, and the Vosian prince detested the feeling of shame. Skywarp frowned, plopping back onto Starscream's now bare berth. The pair said nothing, a thick silence filling the air, until, finally, Starscream broke through it. "I'm sorry," he mumbled quickly. Skywarp's wings perked and he turned towards Starscream. "Wait, wha-" "Out!" Starscream shouted, stomping over to Skywarp and grabbing his arm. "S-screamer did you-?" Starscream cut Skywarp off before shoving him out of his berthroom.

"Out! And go tell Thundercracker to - to -!" Skywarp cocked an optic ridge and smiled crookidly. Starscream felt his plating grow hot and slammed his berthroom door. "You know what I meant!" he howled behind the metal. Skywarp only laughed. "Yeah, yeah ... " he sighed wistfully, making his way down the hallway. "I always know what you mean."

* * *

 

Starscream and his trine sped in formation through the sky above Vos. _'Skywarp, rollaway from Thundercracker when he comes in from the rear,'_ Starscream commd. Skywarp sent a confirmation over the trinebond, shooting upwards and twisting twice before diving and dipping below Thundercracker. Starscream then followed him up from behind, cutting Thundercracker off with a sudden jerk, making his blue trinemate veer to the right to avoid collision. _'Starscream!'_

The trineleader ignored the angered cry, blasting past Skywarp before looping, and nose diving, transforming just before he hit the ground and landing safely on his pedes. Skywarp followed him, transforming with a displeased look on his faceplates. "That was wreckless, Star," Skywarp said, optics hard. "You could have gotten Thundercracker's wing clipped."

Starscream snorted and rolled his optics. "As if I would be so careless."

Skywarp looked exasperated. "Why do I even have to learn this maneuver? I can teleport, Star!" Starscream's optics narrowed and he readied to explain when Thundercracker's form landed behind him, making him jump. "You cannot rely on a single skill to make up for weakness. This trine must not have any weakness." Starscream reared and glowered, but Thundercracker remained composed. "That includes your weaknesses, Starscream."

Starscream looked flabberghasted and Skywarp made a low 'ooo' sound as Thundercracker's lips plates quirked. Energon rose hotly to Starscream's helm as Thundercracker made a tactical retreat, heading back to the Vosian palace. The blue mech left Starscream to fume as Skywarp tried to not laugh.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oooooh, trine conflict. Drama bomb.


	4. Inferno

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Inferno; a raging fire. Out of control.

You felt it first. The tremors shook not only the city, but the very core of your spark.

Starscream jolted out of recharge, optics flying wildly around. A unified shriek filled his audial receptors, followed by gunfire. The seeker prince flew to his window, greeted with a spectacle. A large explosion blew through the Southern wall, bringing surrounding buildings toppling onto one another. A bang on the door to his berthroom made Starscream spin on thruster, null rays already charging. He was relieved to see it was just Thundercracker.

The mech stared at him, distress plastered on his faceplates. "Your father demands your presence in the throne room," he rasped, optics drawn to the chaos outside. Starscream's optic ridges drew together. "What in Primus is going on, TC?" he asked, noting the unsettling worry on his trinemate's face. The blue jet shook his head. "We're ... under siege," he ground out, frame shaking ever so slightly. Starscream's optics widened. "Impossible," he whispered.

Thundercracker shook his head quickly, motioning for Starscream to approach. "Starscream, please, the throne room," Thundercracker gave Starscream an intense stare. "Now." A jolt of energy ran through Starscream’s frame, energon turning cold as he forced his pedes to move; down the hall, reaching the drop off point. Without a single hesitation the pair transformed, dual jets falling with control, stopping short of the ground. Immediately the two returned to their base modes and hurried towards the throne room, an ominous looking light filtering from its doors. Starscream pushed them aside easily, causing quite a commotion in the eerily silent room. His creators sat, rigid, in their throne, optics hard. Just to the left of them, servos behind his back, was a monstrous mech, grey plating bold against the exuberant interior of the castle.

Starscream felt his spinal plating tremble at the site of the large mech, miners helm covered in the grime of what looked to be fresh energon and slag. The scratched and fading red designs over his grey frame implying his gladiatorial routes; a warrior's paint. "Your creation, I presume?" The colossal mech rumbled, making Starscream's wings flick slightly at its intensity. The king nodded, gesturing for Starscream to join them. Starscream's optics flickered between the battle scarred mech to his creators in confusion. What was going on?

* * *

 

Starscream was awestruck, even having moved to his perch above his creators, at the might mech who stood lax in front of them. Even hovering so high above the ex-gladiator, Starscream felt small. Thundercracker and Skywarp were present for once, standing just below Starscream's canopy, looking forward like the dedicated Vosian cadets they were. Starscream couldn't help but feel a little pride and thankfulness at their display. Now more than ever, he needed his trine nearby.

Megatron, as the mech had introduced himself, exchanged pleasantries with both Starscreams creators. When the warlord did not take it upon himself to greet Starscream with that respect, the Vosian prince could not help but feel offended. Had he not just as much of a role in this as his creators in this? He would be, after all, King of Vos someday. Or, at least that's what he envisioned before Megatron and his entire fraggin' army appeared now, in the dead of night.

A masked officer stood erect behind Megatron, visor masking his eyes and leaving him expressionless, unnervingly so. Starscream watched with unwavering optics as Megatron bowed; a gesture so fluid and misplaced that it could be taken as sarcastic, mocking even. Starscream snarled at the upturned corners of Megatron's dentae as he addressed Starscream's sire. "Your Majesty," he rumbled. The king looked less than pleased to be addressed. Megatron continued nevertheless, "Despite my ... less than humble entry ... " A few snickers could be heard from Megatron's troops, falling silent when Starscream started snarling at them from atop his throne. Megatron raised an optic ridge as he examined the seeker, who glared back down at the warlord beneath him. Megatron's optics narrowed up at the prince thoughtfully before returning his attention to Starscream's sires. " ... I come, in actuality, to request your loyalty and alliance to the Decepticon cause."

Starscream's scream of indignation was the first thing to ring out. "You have the gall, the audacity, to-!" The fuming seeker's screeching was overpowered by his sire's roar. "Be silent!" The king's booming voice richachayed off the palace walls and made Starscream visibly stiffen. "This is no time for your egotism to rear its ugly helm," the king snarled, earning a look of indignation from his creation who nevertheless fell silent.

Amused by the exchange, Megatron didn't bother to hide his leer to the seeker. "My, Skypitch, how ... energetic your creation can be," Megatron rumbled. Starscream's wings clicked in agitation; how dare this ground-pounding piece of scrap address his sire in such a casual manner. The gall!

"Please, Lord Megatron, do not forget the formalities of this meeting," the king replied smoothly, a tinge of sharpness to his tone. Megatron guffawed, optics brightening, their blood red glow giving the embers of the palace a run for their money. They were fierce, the only sign of Megatron's true intentions, his frame relaxed and almost as fluid as the energon that ran down his plating. Starscream hated himself for it, but he admired the reserve, the control.

"Yes, you majesty, I do apologize," Megatron dismissed, taking a step forward. "Having instigated this little coronation of Vos to the Decepticon cause, I should spend no more time playing you for fools." Starscream's intake hitched and his jaw dropped. Megatron had so artfully insulted them without overstepping his technical bounds that it came as a shock. The insult was not lost on the king, whose optics hardened. "We did not agree-" he began, only to be silence with a laugh.

"My grace I very much doubt you can ignore the utter defeat of your forces against mine, so why not peacefully accept it and listen to my ... stipulations regarding our newly formed alliance." An option without a choice: submit or be destroyed. Starscream hadn't noticed his servos shaking until his claws drew energon from his palm. He looked down at it in surprise, an unpleasant stinging following the dents and punctures. " ... Lower than scrap ... " Starscream snarled, dentae gritted. His creator eyed him briefly, but Starscream paid him no mind. "Lower than Unicron himself ... " Starscream's hiss grew louder and his faceplates contorted into an ugly sneer. Megatron had heard him this time and tilted his helm to meet Starscream's glower, a little surprised at the intensity it held. The pair did not break optical contact, Megatron's sharp grin melting into smirk as he sized Starscream up, squaring his shoulders. Starscream fanned out his wings, their white magnificence magnified by the embers of his crippled city.

A baritone rumbling of Megatron's engines filled the air and Starscream's returned it with an powerful hissing, growing steadily as his internal systems whirred in warning; a primal threat. The Decepticon Lord lifted his helm more still, optics hooding and smile growing. Skypitch rose from his throne, his weaponry charging. "Enough!" he demanded, only to be ignored. Starscream's wings clicked erratically and he leapt down from his perch, thrusters contacting with the sullied floor of the palace. Megatron only bristled further, looking more amused than insulted, as Starscream stamped towards him. Megatron's masked officer made a move as if ready to attack but a disapproving glance from Megatron had him, and any other riled Decepticon, stand down. Skypitch made a move towards Starscream to stop him, but his betrothed grabbed his servo before he could so much as take a step. The king looked down at his queen, whose optics were trained on their creation.

When Starscream was a mere leap from the Decepticon, he threw up his right servo, abstracting a null ray: a null ray trained directly to the purple insignia on the silver mech's chassis. Megatron's expression darkened and he too raised his weapon: a monstrous gun mounted on his right arm. The pitch black firearm was so much more threatening than Starscream's null ray; yet Starscream remained unwavering, optics never once leaving Megatron's. The gunformer's engine revved louder and Starscream's followed suit. The Vosian prince bared his derma threateningly, thrusters spread wider as he prepared for the first strike. Megatron couldn't suppress a rolling laugh.

Megatron's laugh reverberated around the throne room and Starscream seemed slightly unnerved by it. "Why are you laughing?" he demanded, frame stiffening as he raised his gun higher. Not a spark in the room moved besides the two with weapons drawn; all intakes were hitched. Megatron's optics flared. "I've never seen anybot go so far to prove their power for a 'mere piece of scrap' as you put it?" Starscream's optics irised and his weapon raised a little higher. "I recall saying 'lower than scrap' if we're going about quoting one another."

Another rich laugh. "I like you. What is your name, young one?"

Starscream looked down his nasal ridge, befuddled by the question. The mech before him loomed proud, arrogantly. The control of his speech, of his movements; it was everything Starscream despised in a mech, for it was control he knew he lacked. Megatron was playing a dangerous game and he was playing well; perhaps Starscream's contemplation was proof that he was even winning. Starscream's optics broke from Megatron's and scoured his frame, searching for something; a weakness.

The scars that ran down his frame told of a mech of struggle; his helm was a gesture towards a past time as a laborer. Perhaps a miner? Eyes like fire, like the deepest smelting pits. He's killed a mech with his bare hands. Megatron's entire frame was mass, smothering power. It was both terrifying and angering, but the most infuriating feature of the mech was quite possibly that arrogant smile. As if he didn't have a weapon aimed dead center for his spark.

A smile playing on his faceplates that simultaneously served as a warning an as an invitation. It instigated a mech, egged them to attack. It was the sort of condescension that got under the plating. Yet it was that very invitation that made an attacker hesitant: only a mech without fear would so willingly invite a fight.

It was at that moment that Starscream came to the eerie realization that this mech, this monstrous beast of a Cybertronian, had no fear left to give him. Starscream, however, felt the curl of terror in his spark with every pulse of Megatron's optics and the fact sickened him and strengthened that fear. And suddenly Megatron seemed so infinitely larger than Starscream.

And his weapon faltered.

"Starscream."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Amazing how fast shit hits the fan.


	5. Nightmare

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nightmare; a frightening or unpleasant dream. A terror.

_A soft cooing filled Starscream's audials and he could vaguely make out to silhouette of someone reaching down to pick him up. His optics were bleary, vision fuzzy; it was almost as if he were looking through acid rain. Just before Starscream could identify who was cooing him, he was enveloped into a pool of liquid, his processor burring further as his optics irised out of focus._

_A brief moment and Starscream left his frame; from far above the clouds he could see himself immersed in a large lake of spilled energon. The lake shifted and surged around Starscream, who was thrust back into his frame, a terror like never before gripping his spark. Unable to so much as scream, Starscream felt his energon lines burst and his lifeblood flew from his body, filling the lake, expanding it._

And just as soon as he began to wretch a cry from his vocaliser, a flash of brilliant violet filled Starscream's vision and the eerie familiar laugh bounded off the walls of his chambers.

His chambers?

Starscream jolted from his berth, his processor whirling and his tanks churning. The smell of ash was ripe, and Starscream could just barely recall the dream before it vanished from his processor, though his mood did not lighten.

Shaking off the after effects of the nightmare, Starscream swung his pedes over from his berth, thrusters clicking against the floor. Starscream didn't move past that for a moment, listening to his sparkbeat slow; his intakes evened out and his optics irised in relief. Starscream wrinkled his faceplates in disgust of his weakness, internally scolding himself. A prince had time to dwell on childish nightmares, not a king.

Starscream trusted his pedes finally and leveled himself on them before heading towards his berthroom window. The repairs to Vos had been well underway for roughly three cycles, and the far Eastern wall was far from being restored to its former glory. Megatron had still failed to inform Starscream's creators how he had exactly achieved the feat of taking Vos. Starscream's sire asked how they were supposed to fight off the Autobots with an unknown weakness and, as he had since he and Starscream's first meeting, Megatron simply laughed and dismissed him.

A shiver ran down Starscream's spinal strut and his optics narrowed in frustration as he spun from the windowsill. That cursed laugh would be the termination of him yet.

Starscream wearily stared at his door, knowing Thundercracker and Skywarp would come storming in: unannounced and uncaring, might he add. The young prince assumed he'd take full advantage of the momentary solitude and fell back onto his berth, wings spanning lazily as he absently traced his pedes against the new canopy. The young prince let his optics shutter in concentration. What a pile of slag he was in.

_"Tell me Starscream, are all Vosian younglings so easily ired?"_

Starscream's optics flew open and he grabbed the nearest thing, a finely crafted Vosian energon container, and chucked it out the window. "Piece of slag! Fragging fragger from the pits of Unicron!" he screeched, grabbing for the canopy, ready to tear it down like its unlucky predecessor, before the door burst open, Skywarp having arrived. "Wake up, Prince Star- Not the canopy!" Skywarp warped beside Starscream before snatching the silken cloth from the angered royal's servos. "I just bought these last cycle Starscream, try to not ruin them so quickly!" The purple mech pressed his faceplates to the cloth, as if soothing it. Starscream rolled his optics. "How did I ever get stuck with such a slagheaded trinemate?"

"I ask myself that same question every cycle," Thundercracker said pointedly, leaning against his trinemate's berthroom entrance. Starscream made a face at his blue trinebrother, who returned it with an indifferent shrug. "We've got a meeting to go to, Starscream, I suggest haste."

Starscream snarled. "I'm not a sparkling, Thundercracker." Skywarp cocked an optic ridge and mumbled, "I could beg to differ." A fist flew towards Skywarp, who teleported with ease away from the attack. In the exact perfect spot to watch Starscream tumble over himself and fall on his aft. "You never learn, Screamy," Skywarp teased, violet paintjob flickering about the room, mocking the disoriented tricolored prince. "C'mon, time to go!" he insisted, before warping behind Thundercracker, who looked highly amused. Starscream's faceplates heated up. "Don't call me that!"


End file.
